How Art Works

Art develops its effect through contemplation. Even before we interpret it, we grasp it by means of inspired seeing, by "feeling our way," thus giving rise to an opinion. It precedes an interpretation of the content—and the interplay of form and content becomes the experience of art. Unlike classic guidebooks, this publication is dedicated to the aesthetic experience, which the comparative contemplation and presentation of masterpieces from the Gemäldegalerie and Bode Museum focuses on beyond the boundaries of art forms. The sensual experience of art via forms, surfaces, materiality, movement, and their significance is curated for readers based on some fifty selected works over various epochs and clearly communicated in numerous close-up photographs.